By Fiona Bryce, Beef On Grass
Blade steak is one of those cuts that sits in the freezer longer than it should. Not because there’s anything wrong with it — because most people aren’t quite sure what to do with it.
That’s worth fixing. Blade is one of the best value cuts in a beef box, and once you know how it works, it becomes one of the most useful.
What is blade steak?
Blade steak comes from the shoulder of the animal — the chuck area, just above the front leg. It’s a working muscle, which means it has good flavour and a reasonable amount of connective tissue running through it.
That connective tissue is the key to understanding blade. It responds well to two completely different cooking approaches: fast and hot, or low and slow. There’s not much middle ground. Get the method right and blade steak delivers every time.
The two ways to cook blade steak
Fast and hot
If your blade steaks are cut thin — around 1 to 1.5cm — you can cook them fast in a hot pan or on the grill.
Get the pan properly hot before the meat goes in. Pat the steaks dry, season with salt, and cook in a little oil or butter. Two minutes each side for medium, a little less if they’re thin. Rest for half the cooking time before you cut them.
The key is not to overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if you need to. A pan that’s too full drops in temperature and you end up steaming the meat instead of searing it.
Serve sliced against the grain. That’s the move with blade — cutting across the muscle fibres shortens them and makes every mouthful more tender.
Low and slow
If your blade steaks are thicker, or you want something that works with less attention, low and slow is the better call.
Blade has enough fat and connective tissue to break down beautifully over a long cook. The result is beef that’s tender, rich, and pulls apart easily.
Slow cooker blade steak
Brown the steaks first in a hot pan — don’t skip this step, it builds flavour. Then into the slow cooker with beef stock, a tin of crushed tomatoes, and a sliced onion. Six to eight hours on low. The meat will be tender enough to pull apart with two forks.
Serve over mashed potato, rice, or soft polenta. This is a meal that feeds a family of four with minimal hands-on time.
Oven braise
Same principle, different vessel. Brown the steaks, put them in a deep baking dish with stock and aromatics, cover tightly with foil, and cook at 160°C for two to two and a half hours. Check at the two hour mark — the meat should be tender but still holding its shape.
Three dinners from blade steak
Weeknight stir fry Slice thin against the grain, cook fast in a very hot pan with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and a splash of oyster sauce. Serve over rice with whatever vegetables are in the fridge. Twenty minutes start to finish.
Pulled beef tacos Slow cook the blade whole, pull it apart, season with cumin and smoked paprika. Into taco shells with shredded cabbage, avocado, and a squeeze of lime. The kind of dinner that gets requested again.
Blade steak and potato bake Layer sliced blade steak with thinly sliced potato, onion, and beef stock in a baking dish. Cover and cook at 160°C for two hours. Uncover for the last twenty minutes to brown the top. Feeds four with no fuss.
The one rule for blade steak
Always slice against the grain. Look at the muscle fibres running through the steak and cut across them, not with them. It makes a noticeable difference to how tender the meat feels on the plate.
Everything else is flexible. Blade is a forgiving cut and it works across a range of cooking methods. Once you’ve cooked it a couple of times you’ll wonder why it ever sat at the bottom of the freezer.
Blade steak recipes
For the full method with ingredients and quantities:
If you’ve come across Y-Bone in your box, it’s the bone-in version of this same cut, read How to Cook Y-Bone Steak.
Blade steak is included in The Jillaroo and The Jackaroo beef boxes. Shop our beef boxes here.